The Excitation Experimentation
by phantagrae
Summary: Sheldon takes a step.


4

Sheldon watched Amy move around in her kitchen as she prepared to take a pie out of the oven. He was looking forward to tasting her version of his mother's recipe for pecan pie.

When Amy had first begun her concerted efforts to please him with food she knew he liked and activities he enjoyed, he had been wary. He had always liked her and had even taken the extraordinary step of asking her to be his girlfriend, but he'd been afraid of what such a relationship would entail, of what she might demand of him.

But now he had begun to appreciate all she chose to do for him. She wanted to make him happy and he found that he was indeed happy—and that happiness with her was a good thing.

He suddenly found himself staring at her shapely bottom as she bent to retrieve the pie. He wanted to slide his hand along…

Heat flashed across his body, reddening his face as he realized what he'd been thinking. He looked down at the table and gulped cold water down his tightened throat.

"I hope you like the pie, Sheldon," she said cheerily. "I had a long talk with your mother about how to make it just the way you like it."

She smiled at him as she served him a slice.

He found himself smiling back, the sudden flush of a moment ago now turned into a pleasant sense of warmth.

As they ate their pie, which Sheldon had to admit rivaled his mother's, and continued their easy conversation, he found himself stealing glances at her eyes and mouth.

"Sheldon?" Amy was looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Wha…?" he replied in surprise. He realized she was expecting some kind of reply.

Fortunately, some part of his brain had kept track of the conversation and he scanned back to find her question.

She had asked him about the movie they were planning to see on Saturday. She wanted to know what time she should pick him up.

"I'm sorry," he said, with his most charming smile. "The movie starts at 7:30, so we should leave my apartment by 6:45."

"Okay," she replied. "Is everything all right, Sheldon? You seem a little distracted."

He pressed his lips together for a moment before answering.

"No, everything's fine. And the pie is yummy!" He smiled again and finished his pie.

"If you'd like to get more comfortable on the couch, I can make some tea," Amy suggested.

"Okay," he replied easily, wiping his mouth and hands on his napkin before moving over to her sofa.

He took his usual corner, making himself comfortable.

"Would you like to listen to some music?" Amy asked as she brought their tea to the coffee table.

Sheldon pursed his lips as he considered her suggestion. He had a very particular taste when it came to music and Amy's preferences didn't often overlap his own.

"It's the soundtrack from The Lord of the Rings," she said, knowing the reason for his hesitance.

"Oh," he said with a smile, "that'll be fine."

She smiled back at him as she used the remote to start the music before taking her place next to him.

Sheldon usually appreciated that she knew he preferred not to sit too close together, but tonight he found himself wanting to feel her body next to his.

The flushing heat he had felt earlier now returned and he could feel heat radiating off his ears.

Just then the music transitioned to one of the gentler, more romantic themes and he saw Amy steal a glance his way.

He continued to watch her until she turned toward him again and he held her gaze and smiled. Her eyes really were very pretty and the gentle light of her living room made her hair glow warmly.

He wanted to touch her hair, but he took a sip of tea instead, still looking into her eyes. He noticed that her face was also a bit more flushed than it had been before.

He went ahead and slipped his right hand along the back of the sofa until he could reach her hair where it spilled over her shoulder. After a brief hesitation, he ran his hand through her hair and watched her eyes widen.

He put down his cup and shifted toward her so he could reach more of her silken hair.

His heart was pounding. This was not how he usually behaved. He didn't usually want to touch her. At least, not like this.

But tonight he did want to touch her, and he found he wasn't afraid to do it. Not very afraid, anyway.

He noticed that Amy had also set her tea aside and that she was nervously clutching her hands together as his hand played through her hair.

He reached his left hand out to take her left hand and she covered their joined hands with her right hand.

They sat that way for a moment, holding hands, his hand slipping through her hair.

She was gazing solemnly at him and he sensed a question on her lips.

Her lips…

He took a deep breath and leaned toward her, his leg pressing against hers, using his right hand to turn her head a little more toward his.

He licked his lips then pressed them together as he summoned his courage.

At last he took a deep breath and closed the last bit of space between them, his eyes slipping closed as he felt her breath soft against his cheek.

Suddenly their lips were pressed together softly and he felt a shot of fire go through his body, from her lips to his, then to his pounding heart.

After a moment they broke the kiss and sat back just a bit.

Amy looked at him in wonder, her eyes wide.

"Shel…" she began breathlessly.

"Shh…" he whispered as he moved toward her for another kiss.

He felt silken heat on the back of his neck as she slipped her left hand to his nape.

He ran his left hand up her right arm, then around to her back as she moved her right hand to his waist.

The held his pose for a while, enjoying the greatest level of intimacy they had experienced together.

Sheldon tried to simply experience the moment, to enjoy both the emotions and the physical sensations he was feeling, but one corner of his brain was taking scientific note of his body's physiological responses.

His heart was beating faster than normal and his skin was flushed, seemingly from his scalp all the way to his burning toes. Amy's lips were warm and soft against his, and he remembered the shock of that first time she had kissed him on this very couch. Her hand at his waist seemed to burn through his clothes. His left hand felt the softness of her sweater and the warmth of her back.

As he moved his hand on her back he unexpectedly encountered the back of her bra and another shock jolted through his body.

He quickly sat back, panting as he pulled his hands away from her body and reached for his tea.

He caught the flash of disappointment on her face, but he had to stop before things went too far. He had gone further tonight than he had ever thought he could go and it wasn't quite as frightening as he had imagined it might be, but it was all a little overwhelming.

Feeling the clasp of her bra under his hand had set off a train of thought that he had not wanted to follow. Even now his body was thrumming in a way he had never felt and he needed time alone to reconcile everything.

He looked up at her and didn't know what he was supposed to say.

"Sheldon," Amy began, taking a sip of her tea to calm her shaking voice. "That was lovely…"

"Amy," he interrupted, "I…I…"

"Thank you, Sheldon," Amy said simply.

"I wanted to kiss you, Amy," he said, looking down at his hands as he fiddled with his tea cup. "But I think I need to go home now."

"Is something wrong?" Amy asked, her voice quivering a bit as her brow furrowed.

"No," Sheldon replied, shaking his head and looking up at her disappointed face. "I just need time to think about it. I…I…need to…think…"

Amy's frown softened and she nodded.

"I understand, Sheldon," she said, putting down her now tepid tea. "Would you like me to take you home?"

"No, Amy," he said softly. "I think I need to be alone to think. I can take the bus."

He stood and moved toward the door to get his jacket as Amy came around the other side of the couch to join him.

She opened the door for him as he donned his jacket and they stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"Well," Sheldon began. "Goodnight, Amy."

"Goodnight, Sheldon."

"I'll call you tomorrow," he added, then, imitating what he'd seen Leonard and Penny do so many times, he leaned down and gave Amy one last quick kiss. He smiled and she smiled back.

He walked down the hall, breathless and burning.


End file.
